Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Reading in New Doorways

After reading the Dante Club,which is a book I would not have chosen in the past because it was very detailed and slow moving, I chose I book by Toni Morrison. I am enjoying this book called Tar Baby, and becoming drawn into it more and more even though it would not have appealed to me, because it is a language doorway. In between these two books that I usually would not have picked, I read a book by Janet Evanovich. That book didn't seem as enjoyable as her books have been in the past. Have I changed? I have a book by Louise Erdich that I plan to read next. I'm starting to think that I may have been using the wrong doorway in the past, and reading books that were given to me instead of thinking about the quality of the story. Many of the books were very predictable with characters showing very little depth. I am so glad that I attended the workshop with Linda Pearl.

I thought I would mention the new technology I discovered while waiting in the hospital for my husband's back surgery to be completed. The family waiting room now has a computer screen that shows the progress of the patient from presurgery through the assignment of a room after the surgery is complete. I was given a number by a volunteer, then was told to follow the progress on the screen. Each area was color-coded to make it easier to follow. For instance, it was pink for the presurgery section, then white for the operating room.(six hours for my husband). Next, it was purple for the after surgery care, then finally another color for the room in intensive care following the surgery. Apart from a few telephone updates from surgery, the computer screen made it easy to track the progress. I felt that was a good way to pass on information, giving the volunteer time for other duties and keeping us posted after she had left for the day.

I attended a fun workshop about new technologies. We were able to actually try out a Sony eReader. Our group downloaded a free electronic book from the Web after setting up the eReader and finding the site (Gutenberg). Later we described the experience to the rest of the class, relating what we liked and did not like. The only reason I could think of to use the device, would be for travel. You could order books to download from Sony for a charge or use the free book site. I could not see any advantage of the device over a book, since the ebooks were almost the same price as a paperback book. I did research on the Kindle reader from Amazon, and would like to try that out. It had more to it, such as a web browser and keyboard.
The rest of the class demonstrated how to use a GPS device, a digital camera, a camcorder, an iPod and the Wii system. Everyone seemed to enjoy trying out these new devices and telling us about them. It would have been better if we would have had time to try each device, but we ran out of time after six hours. What a great way to find out about new technologies.

I have been able to use my iGoogle Web site to keep up with the events of the past month or so dealing with the mortgage crisis and politics. I am thankful for my 23 Things on a Stick experience which made me aware of these sources of information. The information is constantly updated, and available from many sources, so I hear both sides of the issues. I feel that I am better informed than I have been in past elections or financial crises. Actually, this has led me to make decisions based on this information and to become more involved in these areas of my life.

My coworker made a good point of following Nancy Pearl's advice when a student told her that she stopped reading David Copperfield after fifty pages. The student had started the book in August and kept trying to force herself to read. After college started, and she had homework to do, she gave up. She told us this sounding somewhat embarrassed, but Laura to her that this was acceptable. We told her that at a workshop that we had attended, we were told that it is ok to stop after attempting to read 50 pages because you don't have to force yourself to read a book. She was surprised to hear this but seemed relieved. The student is an English major and does enjoy reading and writing. She said she is working on her first novel. I am starting to realize that I have many opportunities to advise readers that can be missed if I don't pick up on these chance encounters.
Right now I am forcing myself to read the Dante Club. I have read over two hundred pages and keep thinking that I'll start liking it. It must be a style of book that I usually would not pick to read. I keep telling myself that I am stretching out of my usual comfort zone for reading.

I brought up Nancy Pearl's idea of suggesting books rather than recommending, and it caused quit a stir at our break table for a few days. I felt we had a good discussion about considering new ideas for working with library patrons. A few of my co-workers were very skeptical about suggesting books based on doorways and discussions with the patrons. They felt they knew better what books should be recommended because of their experience and knowledge. I told them it is not about you, it is about them. (Nancy told us that.) They stopped their disagreeing at that point. I also explained about the shoe salesman routine of offering three book choices. We had a few laughs, when Al Bundy was mentioned (Married with Children.) When he was compared to us, we had to agree we are somewhat like him in our lives.
I also selected a book by Toni Morrison to read, because I would never have chosen this type of book on my own. This will be a language doorway instead of my usual story or character doorway.

Readers' Advisory Workshop

I attended a workshop today with Nancy Pearl as the presenter. We talked about books and how to suggest titles to patrons. The idea is to get the patron to talk about what type of book they would like to read. There are four doorways to books which we enter, with usually one that we favor. They are story, setting, character, and language. According to what the patron tells us, we can suggest books that fit each doorway. I even have a list of titles that we discussed for each doorway. We also want to get the reader to use different parts of the library, so she gave us the model of a shoe salesman to "sell" the books. For example, we can suggest three books, one that is like the doorway that they pick the most, the second that is like that book but by another author, and the third from another area of the library such as nonfiction. If a patron likes books that come from the story doorway, they may say they like books that they can't put down or that they sat up all night reading. This person may like books by Dan Brown or John Grisham. For the third book, they might try true crime stories, outdoor adventures, or history. She told us we should stretch our own reading habits and read one book that we usually would not at least once a month. We were told to suggest books and not to recommend. We need to let the patron tell about what they like because it is about them, not about us. It was very interesting and informational to take part in the workshop. I also bought her action figure doll for my granddaughter. She already loves to have books read to her.

Continuing Education

I am continuing my Web 2.0 learning by attending the 4th Annual Academic Technology Institute today at the college. The first session was about Online Database and Academic Resources. We went over old and new resources in the library, and saw some of the new programs available online. The instructor gave us a handout with several new search engines like Boolify, Kartoo, Quintura, Search the Tail, Exalead, Cuil, Scitopia, Whozat, and more. I also attended A Web 2.0 Sampler, which reminded me of the 23 Things on a Stick experience. The instructor had a Google Presentation page that contained all of her information for the session, which she used as part of her presentation. She touched on twitter, blogs, interactive maps, Flickr, Teacher Tube, and more. I really felt like I was up on things because I already knew about most of what she spoke about. Her web site is a really neat way of showing what Web 2.0 is with a hands on approach.

I have been checking my RSS feed on Bloglines and Microsoft, since I have more time after completing 23 Things. Some of the library blogs look very interesting and informative. I added some of the related blogs that I liked. I also have been looking through books that have been recommended on the Library Thing. I'm reading the book The Dumbest Generation, which blames Web 2.0 on the falling test scores for students in school today. Very interesting. I'm not done yet, but so far the facts presented are pretty convincing that computers are not helping students in school the way experts predicted. I will get back to this when I finish the book.

23. One Last Thing

I cannot begin to tell everyone how much I have learned by completing the 23 Things On a Stick program. I have become aware of new trends taking place in libraries and have become connected to others through blogs and websites such as Library Thing, Del.icio.us, 23 Things on a Stick Ning, and others. When my co-workers are discussing library business, I now recognize terms and trends that they are referring to. I have done things that I would have been too fearful of trying in the past, believing that I would blow up my computer. Now I look forward to joining or signing up at sites to see what new information is available. This has opened a whole new world for me, and given me the confidence to pursue it on the Internet. This online learning experience for me in one word is EMPOWERMENT. I would participate in any program offered again by library people.

22. Staying Current: What Did I Learn Today?

My plan to stay current with Library 2.0 is to continue reading newspapers and journals online and in the library on this topic using RSS feeds, Search Alerts, My folder, and any other assistance available. I will attend conferences, continue work on my Voluntary Certification, and view webinars. I will talk with co-workers, use blogs, and take part in the 23 Things on a Stick Ning to discuss new trends, get ideas, and get support. I will listen to podcasts You Tube, and tunes with the ear phones that I bought to make listening easy. I will check my IGoogle Web Site each day, and visit Favorites like Librarian in Black, Del.io.us, Bloglines, sites in my Microsoft Feed, and Newsvine. I will add many of the suggested sites that you listed to my RSS Feed to look over more closely. I will try to sort out what will be useful in the library to make it attractive to patrons of all ages. I will continue to write, add pictures, widgets, and new things to my Blog.

21. 23 Things on a Stick Badge

Visit 23 Things on a Stick

I am a member of WebJunction and the 23 Things on a Stick Ning. WebJunction is very helpful for library information with the classes, articles and other sources of information. I also receive the newsletter. I can share the article on Building a Social Networking Environment at the Library with co-workers that are interested in this for our library. The web sites on this Thing will be very helpful in the future for library information.

21. Social Networking: Other Networks

Find more music like this on 23 Things on a Stick

20. Social Networking

MYSPACE: I visited several library sites for teens,and at times felt overwhelmed by the music, colors, patterns, and movement on the screen. I know this is appealing to young adults, and feel this is a great way to attract them to the library. Public libraries can use them to appeal to teens and preteens. In an academic library, the patrons range in age from teens, young adults, and older, so I feel that the library would need to appeal to a broader audience. What may be appealing to young adults may overwhelm patrons who are less experienced in Library 2.0 technology. I found many positive uses on MySpace Library sites such as book lists, databases, chats with librarians, blogs or comments, schedules for library, videos of library highlights, podcasts, friend spaces, descriptions and history of the library, and more. I think it would be fun to set up a MySpace site for our library. I will ask one of our librarians about doing this for the Fall semester. Usually the answer is no, but I will ask anyway. I got a negative reply for my idea of using Library Thing when adding new books to our popular reading collection. One of our librarians said he was told there was a charge when you added beyond a certain number of books, which he did not want to pay. It can be difficult to bring about change.

19. Podcasts

I have visted the directories and listened to a few of the podcasts. On Podcast.com, I listened to author David Sedaris doing a booktalking session. I also viewed a funny video under comedy on EPN (Education Podcast Network). Both of these sites were easy to search, and the podcasts popped up quickly for use. I know we have a professor at our college who uses podcasting for his lectures, and this has been very successful for students who wish to review or who had missed a lecture. I think that podcasts can be very useful for educational purposes and in the library for relaying information.
I set up an account in Gcast so that I could record over the phone at home on Friday afternoon. It was very easy to call and enter my password, then do my recording. My only disappointment was that my podcast sounded very boring when I listened to it on Monday on the computer. I tried to read some funny anecdotes about cats, called Cat Rules, but like I said, I think I need voice lessons to improve my expression. Next time I do a podcast, I will practice so I sound more professional. That was fun!

18. You Tube and Other Sites

This video (Four by Feist on Sesame Street) is fun and happy sounding, so I picked it to listen to when I need a lift. It was very easy to add to my blog. I do not have speakers on my computer so I have to borrow headphones from the circulation desk to listen on You Tube. This could also become a distraction because there are so many different videos available. Wow!
The library videos in You Tube are very informative and could be viewed on web sites in libraries, but you would have to have the technology available or the skills to use these new ideas in your library.

17. ELM Productivity Tools

1. SEARCH ALERT: I set up a Search Alert in Gale which I have been checking daily. I have it in my Internet Explorer RSS Favorites, so it is very easy to reach. My topic I searched was libraries, and the articles are so interesting and right up to the minute. This would be helpful to use for research over a length of time to keep up with the latest information.
2. EBSCO PAGE COMPOSER: I now have a folder and a web page that I have set up. I plan to use the folder when doing research in the future. The Web site will be useful to display information from my research project. Very easy to work with.
3. PROQUEST: Create a Web Page. I followed the directions on the 23 Things web site and came up with my requested results. I thought this was more complicated than the other tools, but I think it will be great after becoming familiar with the procedures. One of my emails arrived with a blank page(Groupwise), but the other email in my Gmail contained the selected article. I wonder why. I did receive an email later that had been in Quarantine for Spam, that did contain the selcected articles from Groupwise.
4. NETLIBRARY: I set up my account in NetLbrary, did my search, and added my notes without any problems. I found NetLibrary very easy to work in, especially being able to search in the book to find the location of certain subjects. I think the notes feature would be very helpful for referring back in my research to find the pages and topics. This would be a good tool for students.

16. Student 2.0 Tools

I am very impressed by the Research Project Calculator which provides guidance in research planning for both student and teachers in the secondary schools. Users would be working together toward the same goal as student and teacher. The roles of both teacher and student are presented in the guides, so there is a clear knowledge of expectations in the project. The RPC is very specific, yet flexible. You can use whatever parts that work for you, and use it as a timeline to see where you are in your project if needed. There are many activities available for teachers, media specialists, and students, and resources to help with your project. I believe I could use these guidelines for many projects in the library or for personal use because of the organizational outline that aids planning, and the resources available for research.

15. Online Games and Libraries

I have been playing the online game called Puzzle Pirates for a few days in my spare time and am starting to understand how you can spend hours doing this. There is so much to learn and explore with one thing leading to another. I have tried bilging the water and leaving the ship but I think I have a lot more to do before trying any new activities. I discovered that I can speak by writing in the appropriated box at the bottom of the screen. Hopefully, I will have more time to try other activities. This is fun to do! I am sure it is popular, and it is great that it is free.

14. The LibraryThing

I joined LibraryThing and added books that I have recently read. This site is very interesting to people like me who love to read. I have been checking through it to see the reviews and who has read the same books. It is very simple to find books when searching, using titles, authors, characters, etc. I have added my list onto my blog. This widget might work for our popular book collection at our library by adding the list onto our library web site.

13. Online Productivitiy Tools

1. I added my own web page with iGoogle since I already have an account, then customized the site by adding tabs and a new background. Very easy to work with. I liked the other choices, especially the sites that included television schedules. Wow!
2. I also added the Google calendar. I do have a calendar that I have started to use that goes with our Groupwise email account. I was sent an appointment that was an attachment in an email, which posted into the calendar when I accepted it. I think this will be useful in the future for setting up appointments.
3. I have been seaching through many of the gadgets for my iGoogle home page and discovered a To Do List that I added that is very easy to use. I don't have to sign in like some of the others and go to a different page.
4. I checked out Backpack but thought it was more than I need with all of the options. I have all of the stuff I need on my iGoogle Web page. I check it all the time when I'm at work for weather, news, lists, appointments, and other information

12. Social Media Sites

The sites like Mixx, Newsvine, Reddit, etc. could be used for a variety of reasons such as research, keeping up on world events or politics, and just personal interests. They are very easy to work with. I found the area for saving to sites on the news/information pages, and did save a few articles. It would be easy to get sidetracked when searching, so I think they could enhance productivity and/or detract at times. I have read articles that I have scanned through on the sites. I thought Newsvine was great.

11. Tags and Del.icio.us

I am not sure yet how adding tags will help or what to call my tags, but I think I will understand this better as I use them. I opened an account in Del.icio.us, and will spend some more time checking things out. I have an RSS Feed to the Minn23 site in Del.icio.us with resources for 23 Things. This is all very new, yet I can see how this would be helpful for research and in social networking. It should be very helpful in libraries.

10. Wikis

I decided to make an entry into the 23 Things on a Stick Wiki. Once again I will say that I found it very easy to enter and take part in. At our college, many also are skeptical about Wikipedia for research, but I just read an announcement that Britannica is setting up an online encyclopedia similar to Wikipedia. Maybe attitudes are slowly changing. The concept of going in and editing or adding to site is very new to me. I think it is a good idea for comments or adding book titles and reviews at libraries. I like the wiki at SJCPL that you have as an example. I am going to show it my coworkers. I wish we could set one up at our library.

9. Collaboration

I was able to edit the Google Docs document after I received my invitation to join, and thought it was easy to navigate through the various toolbar buttons. So far, I have not been able to enter into Zoho to do any editing. I did not realize that people could work together on projects online like this, and hope that in the future our library can make use of this new tool.
After several attempts to edit the Zoho document, I decided to continue on to Thing 10. I emailed to make sure that I had the correct edit document, and I was told that I was not registered into Zoho. I tried to register, and was told that I had an account, but I still could not locate the 23 Things document. Does anyone know what my problem is?
After reading your comment, I went back and created a new account in ZoHo, and I was able to do the editing. I made some changes to the text and added new words. I have learned so much more since I tried the first time to do this and am amazed that it was so easy to solve my problem. ( 8/12/08)

8. Share Your Creation

I decided to bring in my digital camera and use my own photo after many failed attempts trying to upload photos from Flickr. My coworker had to help me with the process because the photo would not work at the first try. Now that I see the picture, I really like it and would use Big Huge Lab again.

Using these photo ideas are very attractive to pages on the computer and web sites, but I do not do web design in my position at the library in Tech Services. Yet, I can use it for personal information on my own computer at work.

7. Communications in the Library

I have watched Webinars for our training in Aleph for our library. There is a presenter who speaks as we watch on the computer screen. The computer screen displays what we are reviewing for the updates on our latest version for cataloging. We can ask questions and the presenter can stop and reply. Not real exciting, but it does help to update us without leaving to attend in another location. I will watch another Webinar when I can locate one.

Thing 7 Communication Tools
2-3. Instant Messaging and Text Messaging

I used my Gmail google chat to communicate with a coworker at the college. We liked the instant messaging but at this time still feel that Email is just as easy for sending messages at work. I also have used Text messaging on my cell phone. I like the idea of sending text messages to students at the library for overdues, etc. Other coworkers have stated that students do not read their Email, but rely on their cell phones for text messaging. I have to check to see if we have computer programs that would allow text messaging from the computer to the cell phone.

7. Communication Tools

1. Email: At our college, we use Email for our daily announcements, to send group notices, and for information from MnPals, etc. We have Spam Filters which keep out messages that are not work related. We also have virus protectors and receive warnings if there are Emails that contain a virus that is circulating around the college. I use my Email several times per day.

6. Trading Card Maker

I am starting to enjoy working with the image generators. I had almost given up, but I started to look at the different options, and one of them had easy directions. Now I can add things without getting frustrated. This is fun. I plan to spend more time on this to get ideas for the library.

Star

ImageChef.com Flower Text

5. Spell with Flickr

I completed the fickr speller. I did it the same way that I did my Venice photo. I would like to arrange the letters with two in each row, but have not been able to do this by dragging them. Can this be done?

4. Flickr

I added the photo image from Flickr, after reading through the instructions several times, by saving it to my computer. I am not sure if this is how I'm supposed to do it. Maybe if I go back and read through them one more time, it will sink in. The more I work on this stuff, the clearer it becomes. I think adding a photo or two really improves the appearance of my blog. I know we could use photographs in our library for instructing, and for display purposes. There are many more ways that Flickr could be used, if we plan ahead and make use of it.

3. RSS Feed

I finally figured out how to add to my Bloglines site. Now that I know that, I can relax and spend more time looking through the blogs and websites. I think it will be very convenient. It was frustrating this week because I have to use the computer at the library after work. I would enjoy it more if I could spend time at home to discover how to do some of these things. I believe these new things will be useful at work, after I figure out how to do them without spending such a long time on them.

2. Perspectives on Web 2 or Whatever

I loved the video with Stephen Abram. He talked about making time if we want to and compared it with him finding the time to smoke during the day. (3 packs) That is a great comparison of how we can make time if we desire. The idea of learning through experience is true for me. It used to be called hands-on learning. He also said we need to reflect after learning, and that after learning new things there will be change and excitement. Sometimes unintended consequences will result because of this.

Since I love libraries, I will do anything that will help me to keep current with new technologies, and ways to communicate with other workers, teachers, and students. 23 Things sounds like a good way to achieve this.

I like the idea of using something like the Meebo Me-Contact Us Library Blog. We have talked about trying something like that at our library. We may be moving toward an Evergreen open source online card catalog which would be pretty exciting.

23 things on a stick: 1. Thoughts.

This is new to me and I was nervous about trying to create a blog. It took time for me to do some of the simple things like setting up the accounts. Creating the blog and adding the avatar were easy. The directions were pretty straight forward to follow. I did a right click to export and import which was more familiar to me when exporting to my blog. After completing the process, I felt a sense of accomplishment because I did this alone. I had doubts that I may not have been able to achieve my goal.

Today I completed the first item on 23 Things on a Stick.